Kyiv . Ya Gallery Art Center

New Ukrainian

Albina Yaloza

14.03.2013 – 20.04.2013

Albina Yaloza

Household goods, as one of Albina Yaloza's most favorite objects of portrayal, are closely linked to folk culture in project New Ukrainian. This connection is mediated by the phenomenon of consumption inherent to modern westernized societies.

Exhibition Kyiv Ya Gallery Art Center

At the beginning of spring art center Ya Gallery presents Albina Yaloza's first personal project in Dnipropetrovsk. First part of the series New Ukrainian has already been shown as part of Neofolk project - art center Ya Gallery program of visual art at GOGOLFEST 2012. Second part of the series, created in 2013, will be presented for the first time.

Household goods, as one of Albina Yaloza's most favorite objects of portrayal, are closely linked to folk culture in project New Ukrainian. This connection is mediated by the phenomenon of consumption inherent to modern westernized societies. Using a supermarket cart as the main element of depiction, Albina copies it, placing one imprint over another - linocut technique here mimics the scheme of geometric ornament in folk embroidery. The artist bravely immerses into the least researched sphere of Ukrainian art, for the origin and the primary purposes of ornament still remain objects of unconfirmed theories.

The additional element of the image is color - traditional combination of black and red that in Ukrainian folklore commonly symbolized the process of life itself - the alternation of its joyful and difficult moments. In Kozak era it became the symbol of struggle. In New Ukrainian red and black increase the tension occurring between the coupled carts. They roll on one another, forming a continuous factory assembly line - or crash between supermarket shelves. The idea of the first part of the series the artist explains simply: "The image of ornament is a symbol of folk culture, and a shopping cart represents the age of consumerism. Their combination creates a clear reflection of our time".

The tension is reduced in the new part of the series where bright green, blue, yellow and orange colors appear, and brown replaces black. The artist continues to use the oldest - geometric - kind of ornament and even further immerses into the study of folk and new age symbolism: richer color pattern was characteristic of an older period of fork art and preceded red and black and monochrome gamma. The hero of this series is a plastic basket that, unlike the cart - the absolute symbol of consumerism - refers us to a more ancient way of things. It resembles its predecessor - the great wicker basket that half a century ago was a compulsory attribute of the market ritual: its contents were initially sold, and then the basket was filled with bartered of purchased products. This predictable association almost eliminates the criticism aspect of the project, reminding us of the joy of consumption and holiday fairs. Consumerism as a goal in itself and a life style disappears, having dissolved in a multicolor palette of baskets.

Through immersion in the archaic layer of folk art series New Ukrainian changes its philosophic trajectory in the project and forcing a new look at consumption as a festive and cheerful ritual.

Olena Yegorushkina

Author

Born in Kharkiv in 1978. Lives and works in Odessa.

1999 - graduated from Kharkiv State School of Art, faculty of painting.

2006 - graduated from Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts, department of graphic art.

Since 2010 she is a member of the National Artists' Union of Ukraine.

11.03.2017 – 09.04.2017
Exhibition Dnipro Dnipro Art Museum
01.02.2017 – 27.02.2017
Exhibition Kyiv Ya Gallery Art Center
03.12.2014 – 12.01.2015
Exhibition Kyiv Ya Gallery Art Center
04.09.2013 – 23.09.2013
Exhibition Kyiv Ya Gallery Art Center
01.08.2012 – 10.09.2012
Exhibition Kyiv Ya Gallery Art Center